He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. (1 Thes 5:10)
Well, there I was...someone had injected a small radioactive bomb no bigger than a pin into my right shoulder. I was with two friends and one was so devastated by this that he cut a hole in his leg and began to stuff glass shards into his artery. He'd be fine as long as he remained seated. We waited at the doctor's office for what seemed like hours. Then, without any warning - the alarm clock sounded! Yes, my friends, a silly little dream, but a lot of insight.
How many people do you know that would willingly and wantonly die for you? Oh, we all know we would become human shields for our children, we would gladly give any organ we could to preserve their lives through surgery, and we would run into a burning building to rescue them. My silly little dream reminded me of a "YouTube" video I watched a few years back (if I can find it, I'll post it under "Worship Videos"). It was a story of love. A father's love for others. This father realized that without his intervention, many people would suffer and die. His son in harm's way. His father could have saved him, but then those people would have died. What was more important - the son's life or the lives of those he would save?
In the blink of an eye, we are saved. We are rescued by one man's love and another man's sacrifice. None of us are worthy, yet all of us are afforded the gift of life. If we delude ourselves into thinking that we deserve heaven, we are seriously deficient in humility. If we humble ourselves to the prospect that it is a gift paid for out of a Father's love and the blood of His Son...well, that's what it's all about. We cannot do anything worthy of this gift, nothing will ever be good enough - we will never be good enough! We are saved from death through the death of an innocent man - though Jesus! Only through Him can we reach the reward promised. What an awesome gift! What a generous act of love and compassion for sinners! We must be loved very much! How would you respond to that request? Would you die to self - give up your precious "life" - with all it's glitter and goodies - for Him? Has He called your name and you've turned a deaf ear to the sound of His voice? Would you die for Him???
